Celebrating Transitions

Last Sunday marked two important transitions. I received my preaching license at Grace Baptist and my friend Pilarcita celebrated her Quinceaños. Pictured here, Pilarcita celebrated her 15th birthday in the traditional style for Latin Americans. For many Latin American's a girl's 15th birthday marks her transition from girlhood to young womanhood. The birthday girl is called la "Quinceañera." All day I was overwhelmed by God's love expressed through community. I was struck by the beauty of celebrating these transitions as a community, affirming a person’s roots and encouraging them as they move into the future. Having moved around a lot, on Sunday I delighted in the fruits of having committed to these two church communities for the last three years…thanks be to God all those Sundays are adding up to strong ties and meaningful celebrations!


If you'd like to see more photos of Pilarcita's Quinceaños, please cut and paste this link into a new window
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=8021&l=9446a&id=511024944

If you'd like to hear my sermon at Grace Baptist the day I was licensed, May 18, 2008, please cut and paste this link into a new window
http://www.gracebaptistbluebell.org/Sermons/2008/Sermon_pages/may18_08.htm

Beloved

Today during my devotional I looked across my room at the drawing my spiritual mother Betsy made for me for Christmas one year. I keep it framed by my bed. It reads, "Who Am I? Chosen, Accepted, Beloved Friend of God." Those words are printed colorfully over a drawing of a young woman with her hands outstretched toward God, in a similar way that Betsy's hands are stretched toward God as she prays in this photo. It's a daily reminder that I am beloved and that there is not need to try to earn or fight for affection. It's true freedom. It also reminds me that everyone I encounter is beloved. I titled this blog "Beloved" to remind myself and those of you who read the blog how beloved we are to God and (prayerfully) to each other.

Please pray for Betsy's healing. She has multiple myloma and is being treated at NY Presbyterian--far from her home in Honduras. She is being cared for by both her sister and her partner in ministry. I got to visit her two weeks ago, and witness her thankfullness for all that God has done and is doing for her and her loved ones. The woman who constantly reminds me how beloved I am is still an inspiration. She wrote this last night,

"Day after day, Our Heavenly Father has assured me that he is going to heal me. His words have given strength to my heart and life to my bones. These are some of the promises from God's word: (Psalm 27 vs. 13-14), (Genesis 22 vs.5), (Psalm 41 vs. 1-3), (Isaiah 57 vs. 18-19), (Isaiah 58 vs. 11) , (Isaiah 44 vs. 25) So life's journey has once again led me to a place where I have to believe God over the circumstances. I am choosing to believe God."

She covets ALL prayers! Thank you for praying!

A little more context

Hello Everyone!

I hope this note finds you and yours well. I noticed in some photos from the States that the weather is cooling off! Nearly every afternoon here the sky fills up with heavy, dark clouds and it storms! The sky opens up and pours buckets on us. I have always enjoyed these tropical storms. As a teenager I remember watching the rain from our veranda out onto a lush tropical garden. This trip I've found that the mountains, the climate, the tropical vegetation and the even day-night hours really minister to me. I think it provides me with a sense of security in that its what I grew up with.

About two weeks ago, things here really began to gel and my confidence began to increase thanks to many of you who are praying for me!! The feasibilty research is nearly over and on Tuesday we´ll have a board meeting to prioritize no more than three of the six projects.

Socially, last week was full. I participated in my first ever serenade! A group of students, coworkers, board-members and friends gathered outside Paty´s house at 5 AM to usher in her birthday with firecrackers, birthday tunes blasting from a speaker and cake! It was really touching to witness the love people have for her. At 39 years old, Paty has done a lot for La Entrada and her own family. Beside starting and running the school, Paty is a mother of four and studies at the university. A full schedule is nothing new to her...as a teenager she ran her mother´s household the last years of her mother´s life (her mother was very ill) and studied at the high school. I admire her a lot.

This week has been slower socially, which means I´ve been more on top of school work. Next weekend two board members and I will be assisting an NGO conference at the Copan Ruins. Will include photos of the ruins on the next entry!

My prayer requests continue to be for God´s wisdom, discernment and joy! So often I let the enemy rob me of my joy for such petty reasons. My He continue to order my steps and help me to stay open to His joy!

Sending you all lots of love from Copan in Christ,

Helen

















Paty and me in front and Ligia in back. We're
at the foodcourt at the mall in San Pedro where
met with the leader of the youth camps.



Ligia, my host mom, is in green. She is with
her son Daniel Fernando who was visiting from
San Pedro. The man in the back is Paty (the
school director´s husband). We were watching
a candle-light parade on independence day.


Maria Jose, on the right, is Ligia´s daughter.
She studies at the university in Guatemala and
was home on vacation.



This is Paty, the founder and
director of the school Corazones
Para Honduras. She is with her
youngest, Daniel Fernando (a
popular name). She is my
supervisor. I look forward to our
weekly meetings cause she is full
of stories.



The woman featured here is
Sarai. We were celebrating her
birthday. She is the closest to
an adminitrator that the school
has. I enjoy her a lot.




This is the school Corazones Para Honduras (Hearts for Honduras) on a Saturday. During the week it is full children and child´s play. I´ve started arriving before classes on weekdays to work on the computer and check email. I love it here...there is a real sense of peace about he place, like the Holy Spirit is truly present. Note the mountains in the background. La Entrada is surrounded by mountains. I love it!

Independence Day Parade

Hello Everyone!

I pray that this blog message finds you all doing well. Thanks to you who have left comments! In order to post comments, I think you need to join blogger and get a username and password! I welcome all of your postings as it is always refreshing to hear from loved ones!

The photographs below are a few of the hundreds I took of the Honduran Independence Day parade that our school participated in. It is the first time that Corazones Para Honduras participated--and a very special event for the students to have had the opportunity to participate as legitimate, proud and beautiful members of the community! (Many of the students come from poor and marginalized families--so this was a great opportunity to improve their self esteem.)

The project is coming along well, thankfully. Some days I´m productive and others totally not--am adjusting to the pace here, not wanting to rush things nor slack off either. We had a successful board meeting two weeks ago during which we prioritized six potential projects for study: a child birthday party business, a mobile cine, vacation classes and a campout, a co-op of the parents of the students, a sewing shop (which already exists, but needs some administrative help), and renting the school´s space and equipment out. These ideas definately came from the board themselves. I was vouching for an internet cafe and computer classes since we have one of the best computer labs in the whole town--but that was voted down due to our non-centric location! There is a lot of excitement especially around the child birthday party business. Hopefully we´ll be able to focus in on just two or three in a couple of weeks.

On the social front things are pretty good. I have many acquaintances who are happy for me to drop in on them, and hope to deepen a few relationships while I´m here. I´m probably socially the closest to the school director at whose house I have lunch a few times a week. My host family has been away all week, but will be back tomorrow.

Thanks for you prayers! Here is a list of praises and petitions:

Praises for health, safety, the acquaintences I´ve made, a good board meeting, a good visit from a close friend, ability to email and call my family and other advisors, having found a church service with great praise and worship, and God´s continued presence

Petitions for the school itself, the students and their families, wisdom in my communication style with the vareity of people whom I interact daily, a few people with whom I can form more meaningful friendships, the Holy Spirit´s discernment and joy.

Love, peace and joy in Christ,

Helen

Día del Niño (Day of the Child)

This week's activities have been dominated by the Día del Niño (Day of the Child) all over Honduras. On Thursday a group of 6th graders from the school and a few teachers and myself went to a rural community to celebrate the Day of the Child with the children in that community. And celebrations took place all over town and the nation from Thursday through today. Celebrations are similar to children´s birthday parties in the USA. They consist of a lot of game playing. The focal point for the children is the piñata and diving for the candy. Afterwards a meal is served and when possible gifts or bags of candy are given out. I participated in two celebrations. Included are photos from the first...the community of La Majada.

In general I´m well. Today I felt the first pangs of homesickness...and an upset stomach last night didn´t help. God is good, however, and my host mother has been exceptionally kind. Slowly I`m getting to know people and am learning more about the school and town. As I write a huge rain storm is raging...its amazing that we haven`t lost electricity. Almost every day the electricity has gone at least for a few hours. I love these storms!

The following are my prayer requests: That God will

• Protect me from attacks of emotional insecurity
• Give me wisdom, discernment and joy
• Help me to continue to strengthen the relationships he has given me here
• Health and safety

Thank you for your prayers!

Daily Devotionals

Hello Everyone!

Greetings! Thought I´d share how blessed I´ve been with my housing in Copan. I live with Ligia and David Sanchez Cruz. Ligia is the director of a private school around here and Daniel is an architect who works at the Copan Ruins in preservation projects. Their two children study at good schools in other cities, so they gave me their daughter´s room...much like my childhood room. I have my own bathroom, sofa, big bed, desk and plently of shelf and closet space. Each morning I take my plastic desk chair out back to study the Bible and journal while contemplating this marvaleous view. The birds wake me up in the morning, and their song is food for my soul. Below are a couple of more ¨studies¨of my early morning devotional space. All is well here, praise be to God.